And behind door number 22... a guide to some music of the more traditional kind
Catherine Munn and Jacob Martin list their Top 5 programmes to watch over the festive period.
And behind door number nine... some dazzling musical delights
The complete arts guide, for week 9
That's right! And if you were to sing that poem in overly dramatic operatic tones (in the Artsweek offices we've turned it into a little theme tune with four part harmonies) you might be giving yourself a little preview of our first suggestion. How's that for user generated content, media types? Anyhow, what we're trying to get at here is that York Musical Society are performing Mendelssohn's 'Elijah' at York Minster on Saturday. This is a populist, easily accessible oratorio (like a minimalist, religious opera without the costumes and running about) with some really great choruses. Even if you don't consider yourself a fan of classical music, just witnessing a performance of something so stirring in such a sublime setting as the Minster has to be worth the trip. Tickets are £6 and are available from The Theatre Royal.
If you're looking for something in a slightly more guitar-based, secular vein then you're probably better off going to Fibbers on Friday evening to see local boys (and girl) done good Hijak Oscar. The band play the sort of bluesy soul tunes that a few people would count as a guilty pleasure. The Yorker says DON'T. This is a completely legitimate pleasure and if you've ever enjoyed the gritty side of Gomez, found yourself tapping your foot to The Black Keys (whom you may not have heard of, but you will definitely have heard singing "girl is on my mind" on a Sony Ericsson advert) or wanted something with a bit more feeling than Jules Holland than you just have to get down to Fibbers for this gig. If you need more persuading than my enthusiastic outbursts you need look no further than the provider for so many of my entertainment desires Channel 4, where Hijak Oscar are currently ripping it up on the unsigned bands show MobileAct Unsigned. This has lead to presenter Alex Zane championing them as "amazing" saying that "they've got a real Tom Waitsy air of menace to them." The band are about as great as anyone on the local scene gets before they explode on to the national consciousness, so get involved early!
Of course, if it is too much effort even to make your way to Fibbers, you can stay on your settee and order the new Wii game Super Mario Galaxy, out on Friday. Of course if you don't own a Wii then it will only be good to you as a poor quality hand mirror, or a challenging frisbee, but if you do possess Nintendo's highly successful console, or have any interest in the fates of one of our generation's most iconic figures then you might want to take a look. The game translates the 3D worlds of the groundbreaking Mario 64 and the less successful Sunshine from the ground into the wider universe. Here Mario flits between the celestial spheres, bringing a whole new aspect to the gameplay, which looks every bit as innovative as the series has been in the past. Best Mario game ever? Find out this week.
Alternatively, if the thought of all that sitting down makes you feel like getting up and shouting "I'm actually bloody alive, the world, check me out! I can run around and things!" and you reckon this excess energy could push you as far as the half-hour train ride to Leeds, the very excellent Good Shoes are gracing the Cockpit this Wednesday. What lovely, lovely indie sounds they create - catchy choruses, clever rhythms and, to top it all off, yearning North London accented vocals. Get dressed up and go to Leeds, I promise that you won't be disappointed. Here's the latest video from the band, for their new single 'Small Town Girl', out 26 November.
Lecture
Theatre
Cinema
Gigs
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